Those readers who are approaching my age probably have very fond memories of the United Service Organizations — USO for short.
The USO has been around since World War II, with a short absence between 1947 and 1950.
Its mission, “Support America’s troops.” It has done so admirably well, whether by providing comfort with a simple cup of coffee and a doughnut at some lonely airport or by flying its staff and world-class entertainers all over the world to entertain our troops at large and small military bases, at remote outposts, at home and abroad, in peacetime and in wartime.
Recently, as part of its Spring tour, the USO has been doing exactly that, “lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families” wherever our troops serve, whether under peaceful conditions or where they are in harm’s way, whether on the ground, in the air or at sea — as the images below will show.
Lead Photo:Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning congratulates U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Christine Myers after she catches a pass from him aboard a C-17 Globemaster aircraft en route to Afghanistan, March 1, 2013, during the USO spring tour. U.S. Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted the tour.
American Idol finalists Diana DeGarmo and Ace Young, members of the USO spring tour, perform for U.S. sailors on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kenneth Abbate
All photos and captions: DOD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.